As news filtered through last night that Roy Hodgson was considering a midfield diamond against Switzerland, Arsenal fans may have been surprise to see Jack Wilshere mentioned as the holding player.

Wilshere has been tipped to play a containing role in front of the back four for the Gunners this season and last night provided an interesting insight into how he might get on in that position for his club.

Arsene Wenger was unable to sign a defensive midfielder for Arsenal before the close of the transfer window, which means that until January at least, the Gunners may rotate Wilshere with other options in that position.

We’ve taken a look at some key areas of his stats from the game last night to judge whether he’d be effective in the role long term for his club.

Tackles

Wilshere made just one tackle putting him in a group of seven England stars to swoop in with just a single challenge during the game.

The Arsenal man is a feisty player, capable of sticking up for himself and his team in the middle of the pitch but it wasn’t a majorly heated contest, with no need for Wilshere to make a physical impression on the opposition.

Interceptions

He made just a single interception which was two behind teammate Jordan Henderson.

That’s a little surprising considering Wilshere generally reads the play in a big game very well, getting himself into good positions to cut off the angles and to make it difficult for the opposition to move possession around quickly.

Touches

He only produced 51 touches during the game, which is competitive and encouraging against the rest of England’s midfield quartet; Henderson 50, Delph 57 and Sterling 56.

What that shows is a great positional understanding from Wilshere and an ability to make himself available to receive the ball in a deep midfield position when his side are under pressure.

Passes and Accuracy

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Wilshere’s passing stats weren’t majorly impressive during the game; 44 passes and an 84% passing accuracy.

He wasn’t in a position where he could get further forward and impose himself on the game in the same way he regularly does in Arsenal colours.

Lewis Doe

Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.Lewis is HITC Sport's La Liga correspondent.